24 Year Old Has Hair Loss After Losing Weight (with Photos)

Hello Dr.Rassman. Your site is really informative and I really thank you for the work you do.

I’m a 24 year old male and over the past couple months the front (and to some degree various spots behind it) of my hairline have fallen out at a rapid pace. Now I’m not sure if this is due to stresses on my body (lost 50 pounds in 4 months) or just MPB (limited history of it in my family, or even a maturing hairline its hard for me to tell. I’ve already been to a dermatologist and she wasn’t sure and doesn’t check for miniaturization so while i search for one that does i would greatly appreciate your opinion.

I’ve included a couple pictures of the front and side. You may use these on your site if you wish, i don’t mind.

First of all, I appreciate allowing me to publish these photos. Click each photo to enlarge.

The thinning can be related to stressed induced by the rapid weight loss, a known cause of hair loss in both men and women. The short term loss may be reversible in your case if the miniaturization is extensive and the hairs are still there, just miniaturized. Stabilizing the weight situation (work that out with a good nutritionist) and taking Propecia (finasteride) might help. You won’t know for a good year or so, but you might see a slow reversal towards normal. It is worth a try. Get your hair and scalp mapped out for miniaturization so that you have a basic number for comparison a year from now.